Because of an ability to command a stage without any accompaniment, you can often tell when a musician got his or her start performing on street corners and open mics. Such is the case with Brit singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran. The guy played plenty of small venues before up-scaling to bigger rooms in late 2012 and early 2013 and then playing arenas last year with country superstar Taylor Swift. His latest, x, is one of the year’s most satisfying pop releases and shows just how much he’s evolved as a songwriter. (Niesel)